The Heart of a WomanOrczy, Emmuska Orczy, Baroness
General
The Heart of a Woman
Orczy, Emmuska Orczy, Baroness
Murder -- Fiction; Mystery and detective stories
"No, sir, not just then, but 'e come out of the smoking room a moment
or two later, whilst 'is visitor was still in the 'all. Mr. de
Mountford 'e was quite calm, sir, didn't look at all as if 'e'd been
'aving a quarrel. 'E'd his cigar between 'is lips, his 'at on, and 'is
overcoat over 'is arm."
"Did he speak to the visitor then?"
"Not right away, sir. 'E seemed to be 'esitating like at first, then
'e came forward and 'e says: 'I am going back to Grosvenor Square now.
Would you like to see Uncle Rad about this business yourself? But I
warn you that 'e is of the same mind as myself.'"
"And what did the other gentleman say?"
"'E just kind o' laughed and shrugged his shoulders and said: 'I've no
doubt of that.'"
"Then after that did they agree to go to Grosvenor Square together?"
"I don't rightly know, sir, if the two gentlemen said anything about
that, but the visitor 'e went out first, and Mr. de Mountford followed
'im into the outer lobby. Then 'e turned and spoke to me."
"Who did?"
"Mr. de Mountford, sir; the other gentleman wasn't a yard away from
'im and must 'ave 'eard every word 'e said."
"What did he say?"
"'E said to me: 'Power, I say, you've no business to allow people to
enter the club rooms like that. You must keep them waiting in the
'all, one will get hopelessly pestered by beggars at this rate.' Them
were Mr. de Mountford's very words, sir, I'd take my Bible oath to
every one of 'em; and the other gentleman 'e was in the outer lobby,
sir, and 'e must 'ave 'eard every syllable. I caught sight of 'is face
and, my word, there was murder in 'is eye."
"That'll do, Power," admonished Sir Thomas, thus checking the man's
flow of excited eloquence.
"Very good, sir," replied the other humbly.
"And after that what happened?"
"Both gentlemen went off, sir. I tried to look after 'em but the fog
was that thick one couldn't see one's 'and before one's eyes."
"So you lost sight of them just outside the club-house?"
"That's right, sir."
"And did you see either of these two gentlemen since then?"
"No, sir." And the man's voice dropped to a solemn whisper. "Mr. de
Mountford was murdered in a taxicab, sir--must 'ave been soon after 'e
left the club."
"Very soon, I should say. But the other?"
"I saw the other gentleman this morning, sir."
"Where?"
"Mr. Travers from the police, sir, 'e called to see me at the club,
and 'e took me in a taxicab to Grosvenor Square, and told the shoffer,
sir, to pull up by the curb on the garden side. Then 'e told me to
watch a partik'lar 'ouse opposite and see 'oo was goin' in or out. I
didn't 'arf like it, sir, because I'm not supposed to absent myself
for very long of a morning, though the committee ain't very
partik'lar. But Mr. Travers 'e was of the police, sir, so I thought it
was right to do as 'e told me."
"Quite right. And what did you see?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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